'Mr. Sweet further stated the last dispatch given the victim was at 9:45 pm to 500 9th Ave. apt. #1. Victim allegedly never arrived at the above location as the dispatch was reassigned to another cab at 9:58 pm. R/Os noted that the meter of the cab was running, indicating that the victim possibly picked up another fare (suspect) en route to his original assignment. (The meter read $ 6.25 at exactly 10:46 pm) A check with the Yellow Cab Co. revealed the victim arrived at work at approximately 8:45 pm and had only one fare prior, that being from Pier 64 to the Air Terminal.'
The above is listed in the police report concerning the murder of Paul Stine on October 11th 1969, but something isn't quite right with these statements. The last dispatch given to Paul Stine was supposedly in the area of Union Square, San Francisco at 9:45 pm. Leroy Sweet, fully aware it was a busy Saturday night, deployed Paul Stine to a regular pick up at 500 9th Avenue. This is a minimum journey time of 15 minutes from Union Square, to which Paul Stine should have arrived at around 10:00 pm, yet Leroy Sweet had already reassigned another taxicab to 500 9th Avenue at 9:58 pm, after only 13 minutes. So why the impatience to send another taxicab to this destination?
The above is listed in the police report concerning the murder of Paul Stine on October 11th 1969, but something isn't quite right with these statements. The last dispatch given to Paul Stine was supposedly in the area of Union Square, San Francisco at 9:45 pm. Leroy Sweet, fully aware it was a busy Saturday night, deployed Paul Stine to a regular pick up at 500 9th Avenue. This is a minimum journey time of 15 minutes from Union Square, to which Paul Stine should have arrived at around 10:00 pm, yet Leroy Sweet had already reassigned another taxicab to 500 9th Avenue at 9:58 pm, after only 13 minutes. So why the impatience to send another taxicab to this destination?
Click for Google maps There are several reasons to dispel the idea that Paul Stine had picked up the Zodiac Killer en route to 500 9th Avenue. The time of the attack was recorded as approximately 9:55 pm, with the radio dispatch to police officers issued at around 9:58 pm. This ties perfectly with the statement of Zodiac, who stated in the November 9th 1969 Bus Bomb letter that "2 cops pulled a goof about 3 min after I left the cab". Officers Donald Fouke and Eric Zelms received the dispatch at 9:58 pm traveling northbound on Presidio Avenue, having just passed Washington Street. Their journey time to the intersection of Jackson and Maple where they spotted the 'lumbering man', is just shy of one minute, placing them there circa 9:59 pm. We know the journey time from the taxicab to the intersection of Jackson and Maple is 3 minutes walking time, validating that the Zodiac Killer left the taxicab at 9:56 pm. The attack on Paul Stine was observed by the three teenagers at 9:55 pm, with the Zodiac leaving one minute later.
We do not know exactly how long the taxicab was sitting at the Washington and Cherry intersection before the teenagers set eyes on it, however, we know that the Zodiac had already exited the rear of the taxicab to enter the front passenger seat. The taxicab may have arrived slightly earlier than 9:55 pm, but for the sake of argument we will leave the time at 9:55 pm. This would mean that had Paul Stine received a dispatch from Leroy Sweet at 9:45 pm, the journey time took 10 minutes from Union Square (possibly as low as 9 minutes). However, if Paul Stine had departed Union Square at 9.45 pm, a journey time of 15 minutes to 500 9th Avenue would be approximately 10:00 pm, at which point Leroy Sweet would have already allocated another taxicab for the fare at least 2 minutes earlier. His impatience in removing Paul Stine from the scheduled pick up seems unwarranted, unless of course the time delay was somehow considerably longer.
We do not know exactly how long the taxicab was sitting at the Washington and Cherry intersection before the teenagers set eyes on it, however, we know that the Zodiac had already exited the rear of the taxicab to enter the front passenger seat. The taxicab may have arrived slightly earlier than 9:55 pm, but for the sake of argument we will leave the time at 9:55 pm. This would mean that had Paul Stine received a dispatch from Leroy Sweet at 9:45 pm, the journey time took 10 minutes from Union Square (possibly as low as 9 minutes). However, if Paul Stine had departed Union Square at 9.45 pm, a journey time of 15 minutes to 500 9th Avenue would be approximately 10:00 pm, at which point Leroy Sweet would have already allocated another taxicab for the fare at least 2 minutes earlier. His impatience in removing Paul Stine from the scheduled pick up seems unwarranted, unless of course the time delay was somehow considerably longer.
Paul Stine arrived at the Yellow Cab Company depot that evening at 8:45 pm. He is immediately dispatched to Pier 64, which is a journey time of 8 minutes. But taking into consideration the fare was for San Francisco International Airport, we will factor in a couple of minutes for the loading of any suitcases. This now is 8:55 pm. The distance to the airport via Highway 101 is approximately 12 miles, a journey time of approximately 15 minutes. This would now give us a time of 9:10 pm. As Michael Cole pointed out on Zodiac Revisited "he has two options: 1) to wait for a return fare to take him back to San Francisco, or 2) to return directly to San Francisco to take advantage of the busy evening demands for a taxi in the downtown area. Stine likely noticed that the queue for available taxis was long and that he would be sitting idle for some time, waiting for a fare. He would have decided to return to San Francisco alone and head for the Theater District/Downtown to maximize his chance of fares". zodiacrevisited.com/paul-stine-a-victim-of-opportunity/
The return journey to Union Square is approximately 21 minutes, bringing Paul Stine back to the theater district at 9:31 pm, fourteen minutes earlier than the final dispatch by Leroy Sweet of 9:45 pm. It is unlikely he arrived back quite this early, but 9:45 pm, allowing for Paul Stine to pick up Zodiac in an unscheduled stop, fill out his trip sheet and arrive at Washington and Cherry in 9-10 minutes is borderline.
The Harvey Hines report, secured by Alex Lewis, seems to suggest that the Zodiac Killer ordered a taxicab from a public payphone at Union Square, near to the St. Francis Hotel on the night of October 11th 1969. It stated "In looking at an area map of San Francisco, I found 217 Eddy Street appeared to only be two to three blocks from where Paul Stine picked up the Zodiac on October 11, 1969. I then called Inspector Dave Toschi at the SFPD and got more details on the Stine Killing. Toschi said that they had determined that the killer had called for a cab using the public payphone located at Union Square. Toschi said the cab then picked the killer up and drove to the corner of Washington and Cherry Streets". If the killer had entered the taxicab at say 9:42 pm, then Paul Stine would be three minutes into his journey with the Zodiac Killer already in tow, heading toward Washington and Cherry when he received the dispatch from Leroy Sweet at 9:45 pm. This now gives Paul Stine enough time to reach Washington and Cherry by 9.54-9.55 pm. In other words, the dispatch by Leroy Sweet may have been issued to Paul Stine close to the theater district, but not in it.
The return journey to Union Square is approximately 21 minutes, bringing Paul Stine back to the theater district at 9:31 pm, fourteen minutes earlier than the final dispatch by Leroy Sweet of 9:45 pm. It is unlikely he arrived back quite this early, but 9:45 pm, allowing for Paul Stine to pick up Zodiac in an unscheduled stop, fill out his trip sheet and arrive at Washington and Cherry in 9-10 minutes is borderline.
The Harvey Hines report, secured by Alex Lewis, seems to suggest that the Zodiac Killer ordered a taxicab from a public payphone at Union Square, near to the St. Francis Hotel on the night of October 11th 1969. It stated "In looking at an area map of San Francisco, I found 217 Eddy Street appeared to only be two to three blocks from where Paul Stine picked up the Zodiac on October 11, 1969. I then called Inspector Dave Toschi at the SFPD and got more details on the Stine Killing. Toschi said that they had determined that the killer had called for a cab using the public payphone located at Union Square. Toschi said the cab then picked the killer up and drove to the corner of Washington and Cherry Streets". If the killer had entered the taxicab at say 9:42 pm, then Paul Stine would be three minutes into his journey with the Zodiac Killer already in tow, heading toward Washington and Cherry when he received the dispatch from Leroy Sweet at 9:45 pm. This now gives Paul Stine enough time to reach Washington and Cherry by 9.54-9.55 pm. In other words, the dispatch by Leroy Sweet may have been issued to Paul Stine close to the theater district, but not in it.
Even discounting these claims by Harvey Hines, it is likely Paul Stine arrived earlier than 9:45 pm from the airport, headed to Union Square and waited for a customer. He could have picked up Zodiac at around 9.40-9.42 pm, now leaving him ample time to reach the Washington and Cherry intersection by 9.54-9.55 pm, but again, the killer would already be present in the taxicab when Leroy Sweet offered Paul Stine the fare at 500 9th Avenue (and considering he was already heading in that direction, he accepted). What are the chances that Paul Stine would head off to a scheduled fare at 500 9th Avenue and just randomly stop for somebody flagging him down at the intersection of Mason and Geary on the off chance the person was requiring a lift westwards.
There appeared only one reason for Leroy Sweet to reallocate a second taxicab at 9:58 pm to 500 9th Avenue, after just 13 minutes, for a 15 minute journey. Using the 9:45 pm dispatch time by Leroy Sweet, allied with the taxicab meter reading, it is highly likely the Zodiac Killer entered the taxicab of Paul Stine in the theater district of San Francisco, but not after 9:45 pm, and not en route. The Zodiac Killer was already firmly seated in the back of Paul Stine's taxicab, away from Union Square, when the dispatch gave him the 500 9th Avenue fare.
There appeared only one reason for Leroy Sweet to reallocate a second taxicab at 9:58 pm to 500 9th Avenue, after just 13 minutes, for a 15 minute journey. Using the 9:45 pm dispatch time by Leroy Sweet, allied with the taxicab meter reading, it is highly likely the Zodiac Killer entered the taxicab of Paul Stine in the theater district of San Francisco, but not after 9:45 pm, and not en route. The Zodiac Killer was already firmly seated in the back of Paul Stine's taxicab, away from Union Square, when the dispatch gave him the 500 9th Avenue fare.
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